Hand truck with vertically adjustable platform



Dec. 20, 1949 w. .1. CoA-rs HAND TRUCK WITH VERTICADLY ADJUSTABLE PLATFORM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1947 IN VENTOR. WZZZzzm/J 60u25 a' @y/www ATTEI RNEYS Dec. 20, i949 w. J. coATs HAND TRUCK WITH VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE PLATFORM Filed Aug 4, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I3 o Z l INVENTOR. Wz'ZZzZzmJ Konz Z s ATTO RN EYS Patented Dec. I20, ,1949

*UNiTEDx 'STATES'- rATEN-T OFFICE `HAN '.RUK' WITHlVaTICALLr Y.

ADJUSTABLE PeerfOaM f I "William J. Coats, Pomona, Calif.

Application August4, 1947. SeriaLNo. 766,063` 3 C laims. (Cl. 2-80-44) .'I'his invention relates to manually actuated cargo carrying trucks of the four wheeltypeand in which the platform is mechanically elevated tofpick up'theload, andl in particular a `four wheel truck in which the wheels are mounted in frames pivotally attached to the ends'of the platform wherein mechanically `actuated instrumentalities operate the wheelv mounting frames to upright positions to.A elevate the platform."-

, The purpose of this invention is. to provide a four wheel truck having ahorizontallyl disposed platformthat` may be rolled under acargocar# ryingfpallet andthe platform elevated to pick u'pthe pallet with the "cargo thereon'so thatit is not necessary to manually load the truck.

" Various typesof trucks have been vprovided with elevating platformswherein the platforms are actuated with jacks or by hydraulic or. pneumatic means, and some have been provided with mechanical lifts,4 but .due to the construction these operate comparatively slow and(therefore` Vare not considered practical foruniversal use.

With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a four `wheel truck having a combination of levers that may be actuated by the tongue of a handle to move thewheelsgtogelevate or lower the platform. Y f v The object Vof this invention istlprovidegnieans for mounting wheels on the platform of fa truck so that the wheels may befolded tojowergthe platform and readily actuated from the handle to elevating platform which locks the platform in an elevated or lowered position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a four wheel manually actuated cargo truck having an elevating platform which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects in view the in vention embodies a horizontally disposed platform having downwardly extending anges at the sides and ends, wheels having supporting frames with the frames pivotally mounted in the flanges of the platform, a centrally disposed bellcrank pivotally mounted on a hanger suspended from the platform, a handle having a tongue pivptally mounted at one end of the platform, levers 2 connecting the tongue to the bell-crank4 .and the bellcrank` to the frames of the wheels, and a latch locking the `wheel actuating levers 4with the `platform in a low or elevated position.

.Other features and advantages ofthe invention will .appear from the following. description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure `1 is a View showing a `sioleelevatiori of the truck with theplatform elevated and with part ofthe handle broken away.

Figure 2 is a similar viewshowing the platform inthe lowered position, and also with part of` the handle broken away.

.Figure 3 is a plan view of the truck with the parts in the position as shown in Figure l, and with part of the handle broken away.

Figure 4 is a front elevation looking toward an end of the truck showing the platform elevated and with part of the handle broken away.

Figure 5 is a similar view looking toward the opposite end of the truck showing the platform lowered and with part of the handle brokenaway. Figure 6 is 'a longitudinal section throughthe truck taken on line 6 6 of Figure 4 with part of thetongue of the handle shown inY elevation and part broken away.

Figure 7 is a cross section through the truck on an 'enlarged scale taken'on line 1 -'l of Figure 1, and showing the platform elevated.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts, the truckl of this'invention includes a platform I with wheels II, I2, I3, and I4, pivotally attached to f the platform through supporting frames I5 and I5, and with the wheel frames actuated by a tongue Il' through a bell-crank I8 and suitable connecting levers.

The platform Ill is formed with side angles I9 and 2Q providing downwardly extending flanges 2I and 22, and the ends are connected by cross angles 23 and 24. An intermediate bar 25 is also provided across the platform from which the bell-crank I8 is suspended by hanger elements 2e and 2l, with the bell-crank pivotally mounted in the lower ends of the hanger on a shaft 2B and with spacers 2Q and 3G between the sides of the bell-crank and hanger elements 26 and 21.

The wheel supporting frames I 5 and I6 are Ushaped with the wheels mounted on lower horizontal members 3| and 32 with inverted U-shaped brackets 33, and the upper ends of the arms of the frames are pivotally attached to the flanges 2l and 22 by bolts 34 and 35 at one end, and 36 and 31 at the other. The wheel supporting frames are locked in the upright positions as shown in Figures 1, 4, and 6 by a latch bar 38 pivotally mounted on a pin 39 at the forward end of the platform, and held in locking positions by a pin fl that is positioned to receive notches 4| in the latch bar. The pin 40 is positioned in a yoke 42 that is held between ears 43 and 44 through a bolt 45, and the upper end of the yoke is attached to the end of the tongue I1 of a handle 45 by a clevis 41 in which the end of the tongue is pivoted by a rivet 48. The lower end of the yoke is pivotally connected to a rod 49 and the opposite end of the rod is connected to the upper end of the bell-crank t8 through a pin 50. The upper end of the bell-crank is also connected by a bar 52 to the frame :I5 of the front wheels, and the lower end is connected by a bar 53 to the frame IS of the rear wheels. The ends of the bar 52 are pivotally connected to the bell-crank and wheel frame by pins 54 and 55 respectively, and the bar 53 is connected to the bell-crank and frame of the rear wheels by vpins 56 and 5l respectively, as shown in Figure 6.

With the latch bar 38 held on the pin 40 as shown in Figure 6 the wheel frames will be locked in the upright positions, and to release the wheels the latch bar may be raised, or kicked upward by kicking a button 58 on the end thereof upward, and then the handle may be raised to a vertical position which will draw the bell-crank to the position shown in Figure 2, wherein the wheels are folded under the platform, thereby lowering the platform. In this .position the truck may be rolled under a pallet loaded with cargo and then the handle drawn downward to elevate the platform so that it will pick up the cargo.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in the design or arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a manually actuated four wheel hand truck, a horizontally disposed platform having downwardly extending flanges at the sides, U- shaped frames positioned below the platform, means pivotally mounting the upper ends of the U-shaped frames in the -flanges of the platform, wheels carried by said U-shaped frames, a handle, a lever pivotally mounting the handle .at one end of the platform, a centrally positioned L-shaped bar having a horizontally disposed long arm and an upwardly extended short arm for actuating the wheel carrying frames to upright and folded positions by the handle, rods connecting opposite tioned L-shaped lever having a horizontally disposed long arm and an upwardly extended short arm, rods pivotally attached to the ends of the long arm and to the wheel carrying frames, a rod connecting the end of the handle to the short arm of the L-shaped lever wherein upward movement of the handle folds the wheel carrying frames under the platform to lower the platform and downward movement of the handle actuates the wheel carrying frames to upright positions elevating the platform, and latching means holding the handle in upward and downward positions.

3. A four wheel hand truck comprising a platform, frames pivotally mounted on the under side of the platform, wheels mounted on said frames, a bell-crank pivotally mounted on the under side of the platform, said bell crank having a horizontally disposed .arm and a vertically Idis,- posed arm bars connecting opposite ends of the horizontally disposed arm of the bell-crank to the wheel carrying frames, an actuating lever pivotally mounted at one end of the platform, a rod connecting the actuating lever to the vertically disposed arm of the bell-crank, `a handle pivotally attached to the actuating lever, said instrumentalities adapted to actuate the wheel carrying frames to upright and folded positions, and latching means holding said instrumentalities with the wheel carrying 'frames upright or folded.

WILLIAM J. COATS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in .the

file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 147,574 Robinson Feb. 17, v1874 1,248,929 Schubert Dec. 4, 1,917 

